I'm going to do a diary too :)

Iris_Blue

Just a quick one...I know you pre-ordered Tangled but if you're about get over to H*m*V its £3.99 NOW - obviously a mistake but maybe they will honor the price. I've just preordered a bluray/3d one.

Saw it and thought of you!

gerbiljo

OOOh I just check this its back to £17.99 I hope u get it for that price!!!

gerbiljo

Thanks YO yeah I think I'm in a vicious cycle. I was a bit kranky tonight and hubby said I should just leave, sometimes I can be good or bad quite quickly and there might not be an obvious reason for the change. I'm a bit behind with jobs in general, we managed to have a good team effort in the house at the weekend but I never get everything done and it seems a mess again before I get a chance to finish.I guess that is depression you go up and down, maybe if I was not working I'd still get down but I guess not to the same degree (I hope) as I like to think work is the main factor so theres hope I guess!

gerbiljo

de1amo I guess if yo earn well and are spending lots then potentially small changes will have a big effect and big changes a giant effect. We took the extreme route mainly as we wanted it quickly but I guess if you don't have to and can enjoy life why not!

gerbiljo

forgot to say when hubby got paid I paid off another 100 and the CB so rounded it to £62400!! don't want people thinking its just falling automatically! haha i wish

gerbiljo

Normal payment out today; £2.54 a day, £78.78 this month, £378.78 paid off balance this month, I have topped this up to £62000. I have worked out by the end of the year I should be paying off £400 a month this will ease over payments a bit:j, tho not alot really and of course interest rate dependant so I guess it is likely to be put back.

Glad to be another month down, might be able to put a bit more this way though its all dependant on the gas/elect switch bill really...

Will up date with weekends spending

gerbiljo

48 free nappies in post today for a survey :j:j:j

wantabetterlife

Hi gerbiljo....i read your diary all the time but dont often post. I like your diary because i can relate to your situation. Like you i would love to be a SAHM but unfortunately its not going to happen......but working parttime would do as a compromise

I am on maternity leave until august and hate the thought of going back to work....but with a mortgage of over 140k i have no choice. Its times like this when i really wish more than anything that i was better with money years ago, because i know our mortgage would be half what it is now and i would have so many more choices.

On the plus side OH's sister looks after our kids when we work so they love going there......its like home from home and she is so good to them.......and it is also a lot cheaper than registered childcare so financially it makes more sense for me to go back to work as i am the higher earner.
Anyway enough rambling from me......i really wish you all the best and hope that you soon have a brother or sister for your wee girl and that your mortgage will be a distant memory. xo

CathT

I agree with IrisBlue and WABL and would love to be MF or have a small mortgage to allow me to work less. To be MF by maternity leave starting only gives me till August though!!:rotfl:

I would like us to be much better off financially without this mortgage when the children are in primary school when i feel one of us needs to be around for school run, after school clubs, running back and to to hobbies, saturday hobbies etc. i.e i would like DD to start dance lessons but we both work saturdays and have no one to take her. I don't think she misses out now as DD loves nursery but we definitely need to be around more as she and the new baby grow up. I feel i have rambled but am sure those of you with children and full time jobs see what i mean.

Well done on the tax rebate, that's a nice amount.
Are you hoping to start extension work soon then, are you digging the footings yourself? I have dreams of extending this house but no money to do it!

gerbiljo

We are in a bit of a spending circle atm, but some of it is excused by being for me for mothers day , its the garden stuff that is our current weakness! I am looking forward to my petunias coming out of the hanging boxes which (once the extension is finished) will be continuous around the garden so it will be like a courtyard garden. Hubby also bought himself a coat which was expensive but I am pleased he treated himself as it can be hard to get him to buy stuff for himself. Our weekly shop was £48, but I spent £10 on dvds/blurays (hangs head in shame), included...

I called BT today and paid £120 line rental up front and then all calls are £5 a month, not amazingly fantastic but will save us £80 a year with minimal stress so least reduces the monthly outgoings a bit:)

WABL, I feel for you with the thought of going back, I was partially denied this torture as I genuinely felt my work wouldn't let me return so I was surprised to indeed return, I had a big battle with my work conditions whilst pregnant and unfortunately my boss at the time wanted me out because I put my foot down and so they were stupid enough to refuse my flexible working application and insist I had to still work over a 48hour working week, I had suffered with stress related to long working hours and managed to in the end (with a solicitor) get a contract for 48hours, luckily that boss left after and now things are back to harmony... I cannot be sure my new boss wouldn't let me return part time, but I would still be concerned tbh. If I had known I was going back I would have felt very anxious, so I guess at least I got out of that. I guess you just have to try and enjoy every minute of the time you have at home, its so magical and I really struggle to remember a lot of it now. Sometimes I envy my friends who are not bread winners, they are hardly affected but the poor maternity money and don't need to worry about going back!! Saying that although my husband and I are strong I do like to feel I am capable of being independant, though I guess ultimately if I leave I may not be!!
My daughter goes to my parents so similar situation, would be so lovely to be the one at home though wouldn't it? Also wish you the best, the mortgage being a distant memory would be an amazing dream!! I hope it does all work out, the closer I get the let satisfied I am to call it a day now... I hope you can get yours down as well, I hope you can do it as well in a good time for you to still enjoy eveything, they grow so quick. My little girl starts preschool in september, everytime I think about it it brings tears to my eyes!!

Cath T, maybe by next maternity leave??;) Completely agree I really must be out by September 2013 scared to be the 'absent mother' would be devastated to not know her friends or teachers or other mums. I finish work at 7pm as well every night so I presume her keep staying up til late will not longer work! Why is it so hard now? We are starting the extension (again at the end of the month) we are extremely lucky as my husband is very clever and basically able to do alot himself, (last year he put the porch on might of been the year before actually!), he is manually digging the footings over a couple of weekends and we have built all the steel cages and have the polystyrene to go under. It will be quite stressful as our neighbours aren't happy about it and whenever we build they come and shout at us for something, luckily they are up for sale. Anyway as we are throwing all our money at the mortgage and have been putting bits for the extension on credits cards, this worked at first but things have started to slip a bit. We are paying off the tescos card and building up the sainsburys one. I was going to try and keep on top of this in the diary but my husband has been taking care of these so I'm not so aware of the balance, but it is getting too high, in total must be 5k.... Now of course its interest free but I do need to get it in check because whereas in my mind I could leave work now and survive, credit cards payments would need to be made so if I did leave that would mess up the interest free situation as wed never pay it in time... We are trying to tackle this I guess ultimately living a bit less strict has been really nice and not quite as stressful so I guess we got a bit carried away, may have to put the mortgage payments a bit behind to sort it if necessary, wel see, theoretically it can be cleared ok... I hope yours gets shrinking too

Thank you all for reading, time has been really flying lately (and I never usually say that) I keep thinking I'll have a nice sit down and read some diaries but I guess it's yet to come!! We have an all expenses paid chinese meal tomorrow night so looking forward to that!